


Having, Holding, And Other Vows

by donniedont



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, F/F, Family Bonding, M/M, Weddings, Wyverns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25011370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donniedont/pseuds/donniedont
Summary: With the wedding reception wrapping up for Dedue and Dimitri's daughter, Dedue finds himself having to confront the new dynamic he has with his past comrades and now family members.  Written for the Dimidue Wedding 2020 event!
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Dedue Molinaro, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	Having, Holding, And Other Vows

**Author's Note:**

> It's technically June in some time zones, right? Anyway, I finally got my fic out for this event! I'm relieved. This was not possible without Joey, who let me use our dimidue and sylvix kids, and Elliot, who took a look at this to make sure it made any sense. I hope you enjoy it!

Dedue wasn’t entirely sure why he was helping facilitate a scheme on the day of his daughter’s wedding, but he found himself doing just that. He reminded himself that at least his role was ridiculous, but minor.

“Uh, pardon me for my ignorance, sir, but could I repeat what you told me?” the unfortunate member of the kitchen staff asked.

“Of course,” Dedue said. 

“You… you want me to lightly sear one of the steaks with no seasoning whatsoever?” they attempted to confirm.

“Yes,” Dedue replied, too embarrassed to explain.

“Well, coming right up!” the staff member exclaimed, laughing nervously before they began to prepare the food.

Dedue brought his hands behind his back, spinning his wedding band nervously. Thankfully, it was a quick process, the staff member handing him the meat on a nondescript plate. He politely nodded his head, quickly bolting toward the banquet hall, trying to figure out how he could be nondescript, while also lugging a massive wad of meat that was dribbling liquid dangerously close to his hands. He found his husband waiting at the entrance, halfway out of his fineries from the ceremony.

“Did you put your crown away properly?” Dedue asked, passing the plate to him. 

“Why do I get the meat plate?” Dimitri asked, still accepting it. “And yes. I made sure to lock it up properly and put the key where it usually goes.”

“Thank you,” Dedue said. His back arched remembering the last time Dimitri wore his crown, leaving it on their bed and Dedue nearly lying across it. “Where is Daphne?”

“Dandelion is getting her,” Dimitri said, “I assumed it would be more subtle to pull her away from a conversation, as opposed to me coming in and making everyone uncomfortable.”

The door creaked open, their youngest poking their head out. His long blond hair was tied back in a ponytail. His gold earrings glittered in the torchlight, though there was a notable absence of their daughter.

“Were you able to get ahold of Daphne?” Dimitri asked.

“Someone grabbed her,” Dandelion said. 

“Who?” Dedue asked.

“Uncle Felix and Uncle Sylvain.” Dandelion crossed his arms, his lips pressed together.

“Why don’t we have them join us?” Dimitri suggested. 

Dedue took a deep breath. He knew they were pushing their luck having one of the families entirely disappear, but to also have the recently declared other side of the family felt a bit absurd.

But before he could contest it, his son had disappeared, returning to the banquet hall.

Dimitri yawned, quickly burying his face in his shoulder. 

“How are you feeling?” Dedue asked.

“Tired,” Dimitri admitted. “But overjoyed. I just… I keep thinking about how there was a time I hardly imagined living long enough to have my own children. And now I’m old enough to see them be wed.” He smiled, a brilliant one that still made Dedue’s heart skip a beat. “How are you doing, my love?”

“I feel a bit ridiculous that I just had to secure a beautiful cut of meat for our daughter’s wyvern, but overall I’m well.” He kissed Dimitri’s cheek, Dimitri tilting his head to kiss him on the lips.

They both froze as the door opened again, Dandelion returning. He opened the door wider, Dedue catching himself from shaking his head as he watched his daughter, her wife, and his brothers in law coming out of the hall.

“Uncle Felix and Uncle Sylvain wanted to step out for a second,” Dandelion explained.

Dedue nodded, smiling politely before he said, “Daphne, please lead the way.”

“Will do!” Daphne chirped, checking the cut of meat before she walked forward, grabbing her wife’s hand.

Dedue couldn’t help but watch the two of them. They were still dressed in their fineries, Daphne wearing her circlet with the Crest of Blaiddyd engraved at the center of it. Her hair was pulled back and only beginning to fall apart, the flowers woven into her hair wilting and a lock of her hair slipping toward the back of her neck. She adjusted the shawl across her shoulders, dancing around in her jumpsuit. 

“You’re so ridiculous,” her wife teased, imitating her motions, though more restricted in her high heels and white dress. 

“ _ Orchid _ ,” Felix scolded, “Let me hold the train… hold on…” Felix grumbled. He cut next to Dedue, waiting for Orchid to stop walking before he collected the fabric that trailed behind her. She thanked him before she faced forward again, the strange caravan of family making their way to the stables. 

It wasn’t Dedue’s plan to end up legally bound to Felix Fraldarius. Even if he wasn’t the surly snot that he was for the first decade he knew him, he hardly considered himself friends with him. At least fatherhood softened his edges, fretting about the wedding far more than any other parent.

All Dedue really cared about was that Daphne and Orchid were happy together. He could unpack the in-law situation later.

He turned, watching Sylvain chatting with Dandelion and Dimitri. Dimitri glanced at him, stopping what he was saying to grin at him. He was clearly slightly tipsy, giggling far more than he ever did even when he wasn’t under his kingly obligations. It made Dedue’s heart flutter.

“You aren’t seriously going into the stable in your dress?” Felix hissed.

“She’s my stepdaughter,” Orchid said plainly. She plucked the train from Felix’s hands and carefully wrapped the fabric to fit better in her own hand. Felix blinked several times, glaring at the back of her head before he crossed his arms. His classic scowl returned to his face, the lines in his face deepening. 

They made it to the stable, Dimitri passing the meat off to Dandelion and ushering them inside before he leaned against the wall. Dedue joined him, resting his forehead on Dimitri’s shoulder. 

“You can watch them feed her if you want,” Dimitri suggested.

“I do not want to get my clothes dirty,” Dedue said, recalling how messy of an eater the wyvern tended to be. “I’ll give her some chin scratches when she’s done.”

“Oh, good point,” Sylvain said, joining them in a small circle. Felix continued to pout; his arms crossed. 

Daphne called for Dandelion to join her in the stables, Dandelion gladly trailing behind.

“When are you two planning on getting Dandy to bed?” Sylvain asked.

“Probably right after this,” Dedue replied, checking into the stable to watch Daphne dangle meat toward Pudding’s mouth. Pudding opened her mouth, softly taking the food from Daphne’s hands before she snapped her jaws on it. Daphne shielded Orchid, laughing loud enough she snorted. 

“Just checking. We told Baby-Baby he could stay up as long as Dandy did, but we didn’t want to push it,” Sylvain said. 

“I am surprised he did not join us,” Dimitri noted.

“I am, as well,” Dedue agreed. Baby-Baby, unofficial title for Rodrigue Fraldarius-Gautier, was the final child of the Fraldarius-Gautier clan. There was a grand attempt to befriend him and Dandelion, as they were several months apart in age. It didn’t quite work, the two of them seemingly diametrically opposed.

Orchid giggling, muffling her face against Daphne’s arm. Dedue sighed. Opposites didn’t always attract.

“He was talking Claude’s ear off, so we left him,” Felix explained.

Well, that explained why Claude didn’t tag along somehow.

“Wanna escape for a little bit once we get the kids to bed?” Sylvain asked, “Figured it might be nice to spend some time together, just the four of us.” Felix’s eyes widened, but he made no effort to complain about the premise. 

“We could go to the courtyard,” Dimitri suggested. “That way we’ll be more secluded than if we were to go to the gardens.” He watched Dedue expectantly.

“Yes, it would be nice,” Dedue quietly said. He spotted Daphne plucking her brother by his waist and bringing him closer to Pudding. He reached out, petting her massive head, a rare smile on his lips. Dedue reached out to squeeze Dimitri’s hand, Dimitri tilting his head and smiling, immediately leaning against Dedue. 

It was a relief that even with a distinct age difference, Daphne seemed to adore being an older sister to Dandelion. It was hard to imagine that their daughter, who spent so much off her early years terrified to walk out of her parents’ shadows, was now a confident older sister and future queen. Orchid watched adoringly the entire time.

Dedue couldn’t help but bring his arms around Dimitri, holding him close. Dimitri purred, holding him back. 

It was easy to become nostalgic for their own wedding on a night like this. Even after over two decades of accomplishments between the two of them as husbands, it was hard to deny that it felt like their ceremony was the beginning of the life they deserved. It was an anchor for the two of them whenever they feared that they would be ripped from each other again. 

Dedue loosened his grip enough to bring his hand toward Dimitri’s cheek. He ran his thumb over the lines that gathered at the corner of his eye, markers of the joy that somehow flourished in the later half of their lives. 

“Are you going to say hi to Pudding or not?” Daphne’s voice cut through Dedue’s thoughts. He looked up and saw her and Dandelion standing at the entrance of the doorway, their regalia glittering in the lamplight of the stables. There was a bountiful amount of teasing earlier concerning how they tended to clean up nicely. A miraculous development considering Daphne’s proclivity to be in her riding pants all day and Dandelion’s insistence on wearing loose articles of clothing. 

“Of course we are,” Dimitri replied, slipping out of Dedue’s grasp only to lace their fingers together. They walked into the stable, making sure to give attention to Daphne’s massive white wyvern.

He reached out with his hand flat like he was instructed to by Claude long ago. Pudding accepted it, resting her head in his hands before he scratched her chin. He turned toward Dimitri, who was walking toward Orchid.

“Are you not going to try to get your parents in here?” Dimitri asked.

Orchid shook her head. “They just wanted an excuse to step out. I know how they work.” She took after Felix in her features, complete with the deep-set eyes and long dark hair that she had tied back after the ceremony. Even then, there was a playfulness to her that he wasn’t entirely sure who he could credit. It could have been from being Sylvain’s daughter, but it also could have just been forged from the fact that she fell in love with someone who thought that her wedding night was not complete without making sure her wyvern was well fed.

“How are you two holding up?” Orchid asked, “Daphne said you were up as early as she was.”

As a child of the Blue Lions, Dedue felt a certain level of protective over Orchid, much like the many children born among the core group. Most of them chose to have children, creating families knowing that even if everyone was busy with their own lives, they were always a letter away to provide support. They all made a point to arrange festivities together when they could, even if there was a moment where they all took a deep breath and realized that somehow the turbulent years of their youth were able to come to an end.

Dimitri shrugged, smiling at her. “I think the plan is to step out a bit once we get Dandelion to bed. Please do not hesitate to keep enjoying yourselves. After all, this is a one-time event.”

“I appreciate the optimism, Your Majesty,” Orchid replied, grinning.

Dimitri frowned and Dedue stepped away from Pudding. “I believe it is customary to drop formal titles once you are married into the royal family. Though I could be mistaken.”

Orchid laughed, the tip of her tongue poking between her teeth. “Fair enough!” she exclaimed.

“Oh, is it bedtime?” Daphne asked. She was halfway down the stable, showing Dandelion another wyvern that was in their stall. Dandelion pressed his lips together, always much quieter than his older sister. Perhaps it was because of his older sister. She bumped her head against his, smiling gently at him. “Let’s go for a ride tomorrow, Dandelion,” Daphne suggested.

Orchid opened her mouth and promptly closed it. He could only assume that she had to negotiate things like this a long time ago.

Daphne seemed to pick up on it well enough. She looked up and said, “Or we can do something else so your brothers can join!”

“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Orchid said.

Dedue cleared his throat. “Dandelion, you may want to get started on saying goodnight to everybody.”

Dandelion nodded, quietly exchanging words with his sister before she swallowed him in a hug. She passed him along to Orchid, who provided a much more restrained embrace. Pudding was given an enthusiastic goodnight before they left the stable, Felix and Sylvain still waiting for them.

“Time to go grab Baby-Baby,” Sylvain said, “Fe, you think you can grab something to drink from the banquet while I’m doing it?”

Felix sighed loudly, still nodding his head. “Yeah, sure,” he replied.

They returned to the banquet hall, Dedue and Dimitri staying at a distance as Dandelion said goodbye to everybody. Dedue enjoyed watching him, wondering the next time he could find an excuse to get him dressed up. He gave one last goodbye to Daphne and Orchid unprompted, hugging them both.

He promptly heard a sniffle next to him. He looked down and watched Dimitri wiping a tear from his eye. 

Dedue found himself overflowing with emotion, only able to interpret it by pulling Dimitri close and kissing his tear-stained cheek. Dimitri apologized, Dedue only kissing him again.

“We are truly blessed to have two children who care about each other,” Dimitri murmured dreamily.

“We are,” Dedue agreed, unable to resist leaning in and kiss Dimitri on the lips. 

They heard a loud sigh and Dedue pulled away, seeing Dandelion standing in front of them with his arms crossed.

“Are we embarrassing you?” Dimitri asked, rubbing at his eye.

Dandelion quickly looked away, his lips quirked. 

Dedue couldn’t help but smile as he watched Dimitri check in with Dandelion, making sure he said goodnight with anybody that he had planned to do so. Dedue cherished his individual relationships with his children, but he couldn’t help but be constantly in awe of the one between Dimitri and Dandelion. He read how his son was feeling with total accuracy, even if their son was prone to stretches of time that he didn’t say much. 

Dedue asked him how it came so naturally for him. Dimitri just smiled and said, “Well, I suppose I had quite a bit of practice when we were growing up.” Dedue couldn’t help but feel his whole face warm up when he realized what he meant.

In the present, Felix and Sylvain were bringing their own child out of the party. Dandelion waited until they were out of the banquet before he began to leave himself, Dedue and Dimitri trailing behind him. They let him go toward his bed chambers, wishing him goodnight before they walked toward the courtyard.

“He did very well today,” Dedue noted. 

“He did,” Dimitri agreed, “There was that slight meltdown right after the ceremony, but I do not think I could blame him for that.”

Dedue shook his head. It helped that Dandelion had the luxury of being a second child. It was much easier to anticipate the bumps along the way. He already sensed that was the case when he was growing up, his little sister seemingly able to get away with anything in contrast to when he was her age, but it felt more inevitable when he was a parent. At least Daphne was old enough to hopefully understand it herself.

“Shall we go to the courtyard?” Dimitri asked, already pulling Dedue in its direction. Dedue kissed his hands, Dimitri squawking indignantly before the two of them picked up the pace, opening the door and being greeted by the sight of Felix sitting at the table that was set at the center of the gardens. He appeared lost in thought, spinning a bottle of wine in his hands. 

Dedue immediately stopped laughing, studying Felix in the moonlight. 

It was strange to see Felix alone at this point. He was fairly certain that it was one of the first times in years that he saw him without his husband or children close behind. For someone who refused to throw himself into a group dynamic for so long, he seemed content being part of the family dynamic he created for himself.

Dedue felt his skin get tight, realizing that as of today, he was technically a member of that family dynamic, whether he wanted to be or not.

Dimitri greeted Felix, Dedue trailing behind. 

He didn’t hate Felix. In some ways, he wished he did. He was extraordinarily cruel toward Dimitri and himself, even if he was far enough away from that time in their lives to understand that Felix was lashing out. But years of having to work with Felix as a fellow advisor made him understand that even if he could have been Dimitri’s solitary sword and shield, it was easier to share the title with someone. Even if that someone made him want to roll his eyes to this day.

Felix spotted them, waving a hand tepidly. Dimitri took a seat next to Felix, Dedue taking a seat across from Felix. Felix resumed spinning the wine bottle around against the metalwork of the table. His eyes appeared to be set further back than they typically did, worrying at his lip.

“You look exhausted,” Dedue noted. He could feel Dimitri turn toward him, well aware that he was probably mouthing  _ be nice _ or something to that effect. 

“Because I am,” Felix snapped back. He sighed, rolling his shoulders back with a soft pop. “Dandelion in bed?”

It was jarring watching Felix become a father. There was never much of an indicator when they were younger that he would be interested in it. But it seemed to be a topic that he found security in, the three of them always able to find common ground when it came to talking about their children. 

“He is,” Dimitri confirmed, “He was exhausted enough that he did not even try to negotiate.”

“I’m assuming Baby-Baby is the same way,” Felix replied. 

“Oh, no he was a nightmare,” Sylvain said, coming up toward them, “He was pissed Dandy didn’t say goodnight to him. I’ve never seen ten year olds have so much interpersonal drama.” He leaned in to kiss Felix’s temple before he took the empty chair. 

“What are we thinking?” Felix speculated, “Are they going to be better or worse when they become teenagers?”

Dimitri’s eye went wide. “I hope they’re better for all our sakes. After all, they are now brother-in-laws.”

The four of them became quiet. 

Sylvain finally laughed, taking the bottle out from Felix’s hands. “I think once we start talking about the logistics of this situation, is when I want to drink.” He reached out toward Felix, saying, “Babe, can I borrow your dagger?” before Felix begrudgingly passed it along. Sylvain shoved the dagger into the cork, twisting it out with a flourish. “Are we all cool with just drinking from the bottle?”

Dedue knew that there were cups inside, but it felt like too much effort to get up and bring them over. The lack of answer from anybody was enough for Felix to snatch the bottle from Sylvain’s hands, taking a gulp.

They began to pass the bottle around, each one taking sips. Dedue tried his best to not drink to get more drunk, leaning back on his chair before he slowly began to pull pins that set his hair back all day. He rubbed at the tender spots, hissing lowly.

“We should probably do a toast of some sort,” Dimitri suggested.

“How are we supposed to toast when we’re sharing a bottle?” Felix snapped.

“If we like bang the bottle and pass it around quick enough it’ll kinda count,” Sylvain said.

The four of them stared at each other, Dimitri eventually grabbing the bottle and raising it up. “Historians will speak of the day that the Blaiddyd, Fraldarius, Gautier, and Molinaro houses united in matrimony. But I hope that the only thing that will matter is that our families will further develop our unshakable bond.” He began to lower the bottle on the table and Dedue quickly reached over, trying to cushion it before he accidentally shattered it and got red wine on everybody. It was effective, the bottle loudly bonking against the metal before Dimitri passed the bottle to Dedue, starting the chain of taking sips as quickly as they could. 

“I can’t believe we’re legally a family,” Felix mumbled.

“I can’t believe we lived long enough to see it happen,” Sylvain said, quickly taking a sip and looking away.

Dedue couldn’t disagree. The four of them probably should have died for a variety of reasons. The war alone presented plenty of close calls and near fatal injuries that they miraculously recovered from. This didn’t even include the Tragedy, the skirmishes, the five years Dimitri was wandering around forests with a deep-seated death wish, the injury that prevented Dedue from finding him for all that time. 

He was old enough now that those nine years were a fraction of his long life. Even then, he knew that there wasn’t a recovery. The man he could have become before the Tragedy was never going to be. That could apply to everyone at the table, though he could admit he was at the epicenter of it.

A silence fell between them, the music from the banquet hall being just heard. 

“I think the girls are getting the party started now that their old men left,” Sylvain noted.

“They can do whatever they want,” Dimitri said, “Their happiness is our happiness.”

Sylvain moved his head to the music, pressing himself against Felix long enough to get Felix to snort. “C’mon, Your Majesty, surely you’ll humor me,” he said, reaching out toward Dimitri. Dimitri balked, but got up, the two of them bickering about who was going to lead quietly, smiling the entire time. Dedue watched them, shaking his head. He quickly realized that Felix was watching him.

“May I help you?” Dedue asked. 

Felix sucked his teeth, putting his dagger back in its sheath. “It’s foolish,” Felix murmured. 

Dedue sighed. He could handle his children pouting like this, but he couldn’t say that he was particularly interested in working through these sorts of dramatics with a grown man. He took the bottle of wine, taking a sip. 

“I’m going to say this once,” Felix finally said. He wasn’t looking at Dedue, choosing to focus on the disaster that was Dimitri attempting to lead Sylvain. They attempted formal dancing and eventually resorted to swinging their hands back and forth. “I… I really appreciate that you treat Orchid as if she is one off your own.”

Dedue couldn’t help but smile. “I am not sure I had much of a choice. I think we knew they were going to go down this road when they went to the Academy together.”

“Even so,” Felix said, “You haven’t needed to go out of your way to make her feel so. Included. I suppose that goes for any of my children.”

“Most of them are hellions,” Dedue said. Felix laughed. “But they have good hearts. You and Sylvain have done well.”

Felix nodded. He watched Dimitri dip Sylvain, Sylvain tossing his head back, a slight flash of fear in his eyes. 

“You did well, too,” Felix said, “Daphne is going to be a great queen. Whenever the hell we can get Dimitri to retire.”

“We have to start planting the seed now,” Dedue murmured, “He has made no effort to even  _ consider _ having Daphne on the throne.” He caught Sylvain twirling Dimitri. They must have switched their positions. Whatever happened, Dimitri made his way toward the table again, Dedue trailing behind. Dimitri immediately brought his chair as close as he could toward Dedue, wrapping his arms around him. 

Sylvain took his seat, smiling at Felix. 

“You two having fun?” Sylvain asked.

Dedue glanced at Felix before leaning in to kiss the top of Dimitri’s head.

“Something like that,” Felix said, “We’re conspiring to get Dimitri off the throne.”

Dedue cringed as Sylvain laughed. Dimitri unstuck himself from Dedue’s side, tilting his head. “What?” he asked.

“You have a competent daughter who can rule. Give it up,” Felix stated.

Dimitri immediately turned toward Dedue, his mouth hanging open. 

Dedue sighed. “I think he is just trying to tell you that our daughter is capable enough to rule, whenever you’re ready to give the throne to her.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Felix said.

Dedue couldn’t help but smile, realizing that maybe, just maybe, there were more benefits to this arrangement than he realized.


End file.
